I looked over at Triana and saw another spirit working on her. Waving a graceful hand over her body and seeming to make Triana’s body lurch upward and back. Bones cracking and tiny things realigning.
It looked incredibly painful.
Triana was gasping for air.
I reached out to her. Objecting. “I thought he healed her!”
Veline shook her head in the negative.
“He only healed what could be seen.” She gave me a meaningful look. “Not all the things broken inside.”
Those words made my stomach sink. Wondering how many broken bones, and torn muscles Triana had suffered.
Or Bethanie for that matter.
I have to get Udora out of there...
Before she is as broken as these girls.
***
“How long has he been damaging women?”
“So long…” Veline answered. Her eyes becoming sad. “But I hope you will be the end to all that…”
“I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do. He’s so po
Timothy nodded slowly at what his boy had said. Timothy, the tanner, looked as evil as I thought he was. With thinning brown hair which hung around his face in greasy strands. And small beady eyes which seemed sunk into his thin face. His jaw led to a pointed chin and his lips were thin. He constantly licked them as if nervous all the time. He was short and thin and always smelled of onions. He was looking from me to Triana then back and forth. He suddenly stalked toward us, and we both tensed. He caught Triana’s arm and dragged her further into the trees, pulling her behind a wide trunk and talking to her in a hushed voice. “What’s happening.” I looked at Uriah. “He’s finding out if she’s a witch!” Uriah said. Sitting on the log. “Pa can tell. He questions them and then he knows if we should go tell Mathis, we has witches.” “Why are you in these woods at night?” I asked him. “Looking for witches.” He asserted confident
Timothy’s charges were utterly ridiculous. I twisted to look over my shoulder at him. Appalled that he’d taken his lies so far. “The only filthy act of intercourse was you forcing your way into Triana’s mouth!” I shrieked furiously. When I turned my head back to Mathis. His hands were instantly along my cheeks, catching my head in a hypnotic grip. “Tell me what happened.” He said in that oddly echoey voice. “We were washing for me to take her home to Kirkin. They were spying on us.” I gestured behind me limply. “They accused us. Then Timothy took Triana. He was making her suck on him.” I nodded downward to make my meaning clear. “So, I pelted him with a rock.” Mathis’ face was unreadable. “I bet you did.” I couldn’t tell if that was disapproval or admiration. It was too dark, and his voice was too flat to give away anything. He doesn’t believe me. He’s going to take us back. “Ma
More of a chance of what? I wondered. Resisting him? I couldn’t imagine being so weak that I’d return to him for his torturing pleasure. But I could admit in some tiny place in the back of my mind that Mathis’ control over me was growing. That my yearning to see him again was evolving. And that something in how I viewed him, was changing. In ways that are entirely unsettling. Just as we went to leave the edge of the woods, Veline appeared in the path. Nearly startling me out of my skin. “Veline?” I asked. Studying the hazy outline of her lovely blonde hair and vivacious blue eyes. Seeing there was a near-panicked urgency written over her. She reached as if to urgently catch me by the shoulder, but instead her hand floated through me. “What happened with Mathis?” Back at WitchFall? It dawned on me that she must’ve just seen the interaction with Timothy the Tanner or caught some part of it.
Having no pocket to hold the vial in, but feeling that it was gravely important I not lose the precious fluid, I dropped it into the bodice of my dress. Knowing that the cinched waist would firmly hold it in place. For now, anyway. As we emerged through the village, Triana pointed toward Kirkin. Patting my shoulder reassuringly. She wants to go alone? “You don’t want me to go with you?” Triana lifted her hands and shook them in a dissuading way. “Very kind.” She touched the top of my chest lightly. “But very tired.” I was tired. Beyond exhausted really. “I can’t let you go alone. What if someone else like Timothy came along?” I worried. Still walking through the empty early morning booths of the village. Walking a bit faster as I realized that the sun would be coming up soon and early risers might be wandering out with their goods. She gave a sad shake of her head to indicate she didn’
My brows shot up. “Him, who?” “Mathis.” You are Mathis. But at the same time, he wasn’t. He was entirely different. Softer. With kinder eyes. Maybe not… I frowned. Eyeing him warily. “And who are you?” “Jonas.” I was trying to put the pieces together to puzzle this out, but my numbed brain was struggling. “Are you trying to convince me, you aren’t Mathis?” “I’m not.” He said flatly. His voice breathy and hollow. “In a weak moment, I invited in a monster. And he’s walked in my skin ever since.” “In your skin?” “My body...” He said slowly. “You’re saying Mathis is the thing possessing that body up there?” “My body.” He nodded. As if he thinks I’m stupid. “If he’s possessing your body, how are you here?” “Because of you.” I gave him an impatient glare. Lowering my head in warning. He waved his hands before him. “Here
I went toward the booths. Meandering until I found James’ meat stand. Seeing the chickens hanging upside down from the beam above on the right. Squirrels hanging from the right. The scent of cooking pork emanating from a giant pit just behind the stand. Cooked bird legs laid out on a platter. My mother was there. Haggling with him over the price of some meat. Her long wavy brown hair running down her back. Telling me it was her. Her shoulders were broad, and she was a small squat woman. But she made up for that in gentleness and intelligence. Her voice was raising, and I could see father from the bakery giving me a meaningful look. He nodded toward the stand for me to go help her. I swept my long hair over my shoulder to get it off my sweating neck and headed for the stand. I caught mom’s arm. She turned to me. Flushed and furious. “What’s wrong?” I asked her in a quiet voice. “He didn’t deliver the last chickens I purc
“You’re truly going to deny my family the meat they purchased because I choose not to wed?” “I’ll deny them ever buying any again!” He declared. “Whoa!” My father emerged from the darkness. He was stout and tall and despite the bit of baldness on his head, he was still very imposing. And right now, he looked angry. “Why on earth are you shouting at my daughter?” “Unfortunately, Sir,” James declared. “I’m fresh out of chickens for you to purchase tonight.” “Ma already bought them!” I argued. Outraged that he would continue to say she was a liar. Trying to get more coin from us. James’ lip curled in contempt. The light from his torch dancing over his furious face. “You’re mistaken.” “You’re calling my mother a liar.” “I am telling you I wasn’t paid. And that’s the end of the tale.” “Because I won’t wed you!” “What?” Father caught my arm and pulled me behind him. “I made an
I had no choice I pulled on a clean dress and my shoes. Barely remembering to snatch the vial from my drawer, before quietly crept from my window. Headed up WitchFall Hill. I found myself aimed for the last place I ever wanted to go again. His home. The vial cooled in my hand. The night breeze making it chilly. It dusted the treetops, making them flow like dark wings in the near blinding air. The bleak building towered above threateningly. Orange flamelight emanating from windows just above the ground. Leading to the dungeons. The higher rooms were a soft yellow from meager candlelight. He prefers the dark… Realizing I couldn’t keep the vial in my hand I tucked it between my breasts, resting safely just behind where my bodice cinched the dress. I was chewing my cheek. Wishing that someone else could be doing what I was doing while I rested. My eyes felt heavy, and I was so unspeakably